Centerboard knit-a-thon makes blankets for families

LYNN – Veteran knitters with yarn to spare and newbies just learning the craft united Saturday at The Centerboard in Lynn for a project to knit blankets for families transitioning from a shelter to their own home.At the nonprofit’s headquarters in City Hall Square, Maleeka McIntire was showing 11-year-old Andrew Gregory how to cast a stitch on the bright red yarn he and his mom, Kim Gregory, bought for the project.View a photo gallery”Then you roll it – this takes a little practice – and then you pull this out,” McIntire said, handing the yarn and needles off to Andrew Gregory.The knit-a-thon, as it’s being called, was McIntire’s idea. McIntire said she was looking for something positive to do with the boxes of yarn she’s collected over years of knitting and crocheting.”I have a pretty obscene knitting stash,” she said.So she contacted Carla Scheri, the special projects coordinator for Centerboard, with an idea: knit blankets for families in need who work with Centerboard.”I thought it was a great idea,” Scheri said Saturday. ” ? I really appreciate Maleeka’s initiative.”The project spread through the knitting community on social media, requesting contributions of 9-inch-by-9-inch squares of any color or pattern, which will be sewed together 35 at a time to make a blanket. McIntire said she received so much interest from knitters of all skill levels, she decided to host a group knitting session Saturday.Andrew Gregory, a student at St. Mary’s middle school program, said he’s always wanted to learn how to knit and is grateful to combine the free lesson with a good cause.”When you think about it, you have a better life than some people and why not help them,” he said.Nearby, 93-year-old Dot Macaione thread blue and white yarn on her needles to get a square she knitted previously to the right dimensions.”I’m always volunteering,” the Lynn resident said. ” ? It keeps me busy and out of trouble.”Scheri said the Centerboard’s families program works with 236 families living in shelters or working to get out of them. The goal of McIntire’s knit-a-thon is to make blankets as housewarming gifts for 20 families recently out of a shelter.But she and McIntire said they expect the knit-a-thon to continue through the winter and into spring to help even more families.”We’re going to keep going,” Scheri said. “Because summer’s quick around here.”How to Help Send your 9-inch-by-9-inch knitted squares-any color or pattern-to The Centerboard, 16 City Hall Square, Lynn, MA, 01901, attention: Knit-a-thon.
Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].